NEW ORLEANS: Kyrie Irving scored 31 points in his return from a left shoulder injury, but the New Orleans shot 54 percent to send the Cavs to their eighth consecutive loss with a 112-92 victory.

Irving was announced as a surprise return less than two hours prior to the game, but he couldn’t help a defense that was beaten badly off pick-and-rolls and around the perimeter. The Hornets made 12 of 21 3-pointers and scored 19 fast break points, a rarity against a Cavs team that typically gives up few points on the break.

NEW ORLEANS: Kyrie Irving has been cleared to return and will play tonight when the Cavaliers face the New Orleans Hornets.

Irving missed three weeks with a sprained left shoulder, and the Cavs will remain cautious with him moving forward. He will not play Monday night in the second of a back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks.

CLEVELAND: The Cavs were outscored 20-2 during a five-minute stretch that spanned the end of the first half and start of the third quarter in falling to the Philadelphia 76ers 97-87 on Friday. Their losing streak has reached a season-high seven games.

The Cavs led 45-36 on a layup by Tristan Thompson with 1:57 left in the half, but that was the end of the fun for the Cavs. They missed their last six shots of the first half and four of their first five to start the third quarter. Evan Turner’s 3-pointer with 8:47 left in the third extended the Sixers’ lead to 56-47.

INDEPENDENCE: Given the benefit of hindsight, Cavs coach Byron Scott said Thursday he should've used one of the three remaining timeouts before the team's final possession during Wednesday's loss to the Boston Celtics.

Scott defended the move Wednesday night by saying he thought the Cavs would've ended up with the same shot they got, which was a good look from Shaun Livingston at the elbow inside the lane. Livingston simply missed the shot.

CLEVELAND: This time it was a 14-point lead with eight minutes to go. This time it wasn’t the league’s hottest team, but rather another injury-ravaged roster just trying to hold on to its playoff seed.

More questionable rotations, more questionable clock management. More bad defense, more ineffectiveness on offense. Another stinging defeat after bumbling away another big lead in a season that has been circling the drain for weeks.

CLEVELAND: Before the fan raced onto the floor but after the scoreboard began to drizzle, the villain turned near the 3-point line and sneered at the fans that once adored him, embracing the hate as his hulking shoulders and chest heaved with every exaggerated breath.

CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers game against the Miami Heat was delayed about 35 minutes by condensation leaking from carbon dioxide canisters within the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers said.

Arena workers spotted a leak from the scoreboard just prior to tip, after both teams had been introduced and were about to take the floor. Workers used towels and mops to clean up the substance, but both teams were sent back to the locker room and the scoreboard had to be lowered for repairs to be made.

CLEVELAND: LeBron James sidestepped questions about one day returning to the Cavaliers, insisted he hasn’t paid much attention to their rebuild … and then absolutely blew up Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry after smashing a dunk over him in the Miami Heat’s victory Monday night.

One year after shocking everyone by saying a return to the Cavaliers would be “great” and “hopefully the fans will accept me,” James was much more vague on Monday when asked about it again.

The Cavaliers are expected to sign guard Chris Quinn today, pending a physical, a league source confirmed. Quinn, 29, has bounced around the NBA with the Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs.

Quinn was averaging 12.7 points and 6.1 assists with the Tulsa 66ers of the Development League. He is expected to be in uniform tonight when the Cavs host the Heat. The roster now stands at 15.

INDEPENDENCE: Dion Waiters will miss at least a week with loose cartilage in his left knee. He will rest and receive treatment on the knee and an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the knee hasn't been ruled out.

It's another crushing blow for a team already without its top two players in Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao, and now the defending champion Miami Heat are coming to town riding a 23-game winning streak.

CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers are down to their third string playmaker. The only problem is identifying who exactly that might be.

They faced another playoff team Monday and lost to the Indiana Pacers 111-90 because they were pushed around inside by a much more physical, dominant opponent. Role players for the Pacers had terrific nights while the Cavaliers struggled to score. A large reason for that was the absence of Dion Waiters, who left after the first quarter with soreness in his left knee and didn’t return.

Kyrie Irving is expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks and could miss the rest of the season with an AC sprain in his left shoulder. There are just 5 1/2 weeks left in the season.

Irving was injured in the third quarter Sunday when he crashed into Toronto Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas while driving to the basket. Irving stayed in the game long enough to shoot a pair of one-handed free throws, but had difficulty moving the shoulder.

CLEVELAND: Greg Oden had a pretty good view of the Cavs’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll have an even better seat at the Q next season.

Oden attended the Cavs’ game Friday as a guest of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr., his best friend since childhood – yet wound up in Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s baseline seats adjacent the Cavs’ bench.

INDEPENDENCE: Kyrie Irving isn't expected to play tonight when the Cavs host the Memphis Grizzlies, but it has nothing to do with his right knee.

Irving missed shootaround this morning with the same flu-like symptoms that previously plagued Tyler Zeller, Dion Waiters, Daniel Gibson and trainer Max Benton -- along with a number of the players' significant others.

CLEVELAND: The savvy veteran was controlling the game’s final seconds even before the Cavs inbounded the basketball. Tyson Chandler had already made one critical play by tipping a rebound out to the top of the key on the Knicks’ previous possession, which led to a free throw and a three-point Knicks lead.

Kyrie Irving is expected to play tonight when the Cavs host the New York Knicks. Irving has missed the last three games with a hyperextended right knee, but made it through practice on Sunday and Monday's morning shootaround without incident.

Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller, however, are both sick and remain questionable for tonight.

CLEVELAND: Chris Paul had 15 assists, Blake Griffin had 16 points and the Los Angeles Clippers blasted the Cavs 105-86 on Friday for their first win in Cleveland in more than 10 years.

The Cavs, who were without Kyrie Irving for the third consecutive game, went six minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter as the Clippers blew open a 23-point lead after the Cavs cut the deficit to 62-59 in the third quarter.

CLEVELAND: Omri Casspi will not have his contract bought out in time to be eligible for a playoff roster, two league sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Friday.

Casspi was in negotiations to have his contract bought out, according to an ESPN.com report. But Casspi needed to be released by 11:59 p.m. on Friday in order for him to be eligible for the playoffs. That doesn't appear likely, according to the two sources who spoke on conditiion of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.

INDEPENDENCE: Kyrie Irving will be a game-time decision tonight when the Cavaliers host the Los Angeles Clippers. Coach Byron Scott said at this morning's shootaround he would like to hold Irving out until he is 100 percent, not just until he feels better.

"One bad cut or whatever, you could still tweak it," Scott said. "And the other thing is how much pain can he take. Right now I'm not willing to kind of say, 'You can take the pain? OK that's great. I'm going to let you play tonight.' I'm not going that way."